(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to marketing and sales tools involving user interfaces on portable devices, and, more particularly, to strategic placement of radio frequency identifiers and/or radio frequency identification devices (RFID/NFC) on, within, connected and/or integrated with portable electronic device housings including all connective components and/or embedded components or circuitry internal and/or external to the device itself and/or associated software, including applications for wireless devices.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Brand strategy is the business of developing brands based on thorough marketing knowledge and insight. It is a physical expression of how a business direction and key messages will communicate and establish value effectively across a broad range using several mediums to enhance awareness, impact and equity of the brand. In short increasing companies “goodwill,” which is often more valuable than the break-up value of the company's assets. Marketing often takes advantage of the interface between a consumer and an object to create intangible value in the form of branding some business' product or service. Examples of such interfaces include billboards, packaging, and electronic displays (TV screens and computer monitors). Use of such interfaces creates commercial goodwill helping businesses sell their products and/or services.
Recently, in today's mobile information society, an unexploited and increasingly ubiquitous consumer-object interface has arisen, namely the use of wireless devices as an integral part of daily living. Although such devices often advertise the manufacturer of the device itself by including an identifying mark somewhere on the device, generally such marks are not interactive or functional and do not provide the end user with any true commercial function, in our model the consumer may through the mark and/or audio cue, trigger, waveform, signature, command and/or visual cue, trigger, command, signature, waveform itself interact in some way with the business, its product or services/functionality of his/her choice. The mark is non-functional at present. Thus, there is a need and opportunity for functional overlays, or marks on wireless devices that function to induce and/or permit a consumer to interact with a business, its product or services, i.e., to purchase, order, request information or conduct some other business-related, gaming, advertising/action and/or transaction using the user interface. RFID/NFC is defined as follows as it relates to this invention and can be present on the case, cover, covering, encasement, overlay or wrapping or device housings including all connective components and/or embedded components or circuitry internal and/or external to the device itself and/or associated software. Radio Frequency Identification Technology to include Active RFID/NFC, Passive RFID/NFC, and newer technologies being developed in RFID or variation(s) such as Near Field Communication herein referred to as (RFID/NFC) (Not meant to limit scope of other iterations of RFID such as, for example, Zigbee, RFID/NFC enabled EMV, etc. Active RFID/NFC is typically either powered or uses a transponder type system which actively emits and/or receives in some manner. Passive RFID/NFC technology is typically activated by reflecting a signal emitted from an external reader or electronic device. An example of passive RFID/NFC technology is the Speedpass™ system manufactured by Texas Instruments, Inc. and distributed by Exxon/Mobil, Inc. Newer technologies being developed include such variations as Near Field Communication RFID/NFC which in its simplest form can combine advances such as more secure communications accomplished by in one variation touch of one device to another. These examples are not meant to exclude any variation of RFID/NFC, but to include both past, present, and future forms of Radio Frequency Identification technology and their various embodiments for single and multiple purposes known at the present as RFID, Near Field Communication (ie. NFC), Contactless, Zigbee, EMV variations, Internal Integrated Circuits and/or associated firmware, software, hardware, and/or wireless SD cards (or like), combinations and/or variations therein.